Trainee bank clerk had spending spree on stolen cash

A BANK clerk forged signatures of elderly customers to fund a spending spree of nearly £6,000 for nights out, DVDs and a holiday.

The Santander bank trainee at the Victoria Street, Grimsby, branch, took a total of £5,800 from customers – one aged 91 and others in their 70s and 80s.

Ashley Dixon, 21, admitted fraud by breaching trust placed in him by his employers.

Sentencing Dixon at Grimsby Crown Court, to 12 months in prison, suspended for two years, Judge John Dowse told him: "As you leave this court, think of those elderly people. Think of the distress you have caused them."

During the hearing the judge said elderly people are "greatly upset and fearful" by fraudulent behaviour.

He said the elderly customers had been targeted, and as the amounts clocked up Dixon decided to "go for it" with bigger amounts.

not condoning this at all and certainly not using the rubbish salary as an excuse to steal , there is a saying "if you pay peanuts , you get monkeys" , in this case it looks like Santander employed one and they should know better !

by Mark66Sunday, May 6 2012, 2:36PM
""Porceleinblak" , a salary of circa £12000 per annum is a disgrace in this day and age , even more of a disgrace is that a bank is paying it for what amounts to a responsible position ; whereby this individual had access to all customers accounts !"
I agree that it is not a huge amount but the tone of your post seems to be that it entitles someone to steal if they don't earn a good salary.What ""Porceleinblak" says is true-there are lots of people who earn less than this but they don't steal-and they are also people in responsible positions of various kinds. Using a low salary as an excuse is a slur on all those who don't earn large amounts but would never think of stealing.

"Porceleinblak" , a salary of circa £12000 per annum is a disgrace in this day and age , even more of a disgrace is that a bank is paying it for what amounts to a responsible position ; whereby this individual had access to all customers accounts !